Weather bureau to issue forecasts specifically for indigenous groups

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) A new weather forecast service geared toward the 55 major indigenous communities throughout Taiwan will be launched in July, the Central Weather Bureau said Tuesday.

The new service will provide weather information in several indigenous languages via local TV and radio broadcast networks and will include forecasts for small tribal areas that are often not mentioned in the regular forecasts, the bureau said.

The initiative takes into consideration the now higher chances of extreme weather events brought about by global climate change, said Cheng Ming-dean, director of the bureau's weather forecast center.

Early warnings are particularly crucial for indigenous groups since most of them live in mountainous or coastal areas that are prone to natural disasters, Cheng said

"Instead of the usual weather forecasts for administrative areas, the new service will be more localized and practical," Cheng said.

The bureau will use "grid computing" that can analyze weather patterns in any given geographic area and allows for prompt weather information, he said.

In the future, he said, the project could be extended island-wide so people could obtain more localized information about temperature, humidity and ultraviolet rays in their specific areas.

"We already have the ability to issue location-specific weather forecasts," he said. "The next step is to establish a work flow and train our forecasters."